Factual error: In numerous sci-fi films and TV series, planets, moons, and other similar celestial objects always appear to have gravity equal to that of Earth regardless of the object's size or mass. For example, a moon the same size as a small planet (such as Yavin 4 or Endor's forest moon from the Star Wars films) has the same apparent gravity as larger bodies, while in reality, the smaller objects would have noticeably less gravity than larger ones.
zendaddy621
2nd Jun 2019
Common mistakes
17th Apr 2019
The Simpsons (1989)
Continuity mistake: After Lisa unlocks the bathroom door with the coat hanger, the puddle of "baby blood" (Pepto-Bismol) at her feet disappears in the next shot.
15th Apr 2019
Bumblebee (2018)
Question: Why didn't Frank Welker reprise his role as the voice of Soundwave for this film?
5th Apr 2019
Futurama (1999)
Anthology of Interest 2 - S4-E3
Continuity mistake: After Bender gobbles down the plate of nachos, the beer he spills on the front of his shirt disappears in the next shot.
7th Aug 2018
It (2017)
Factual error: This film is set in Maine (USA), but the war memorial shown is obviously Canadian; this is evidenced by the phrase "for King and country" engraved upon it.
26th Mar 2018
Rick and Morty (2013)
Question: What is the title of the piece of music playing when Beth performs field surgery on the deer? It sounds like it might be by the group Enigma, but I can't seem to find any more info about it.
Chosen answer: It's called "The Enigma of Copyright" by Headphone Activist.
Answer: Return To Innocence by Enigma.
24th Mar 2018
South Park (1997)
Simpsons Already Did It - S6-E7
Character mistake: Butters says that he watched "all 132 episodes" of the Simpsons; at the time this episode aired, 291 episodes of the Simpsons had been produced and aired.
Suggested correction: Butters is always shown as being a bit dim and slow. As a kid it's easy for him to make a mistake in thinking that there was only 132 episodes.
That's why it's called a "character mistake"; also, Butters is certainly naive, but he's hardly what I would call "dim and slow."
20th Mar 2018
Superstore (2015)
Question: Does Mark McKinney wear a fatsuit for this series or did he gain weight in real life? I ask because he was on the skinny side when he was on Kids In The Hall and SNL as well as the many films he's been in. So which is the case?
Chosen answer: He's just gained weight. It looks like he slowly started gaining more weight around 2006 or so. In "Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town" (2010) he's noticeably heavier than his younger days (he was on SNL 21 years ago). By the time he was in "Man Seeking Woman" he looks very similar to how he looks in "Superstore."
13th Mar 2018
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Factual error: Missouri has no hills or mountains like those shown in this film; the closest would be the Ozarks in the southern part of the state, which are more rounded.
8th Feb 2018
Clerks 2 (2006)
Factual error: Mountains are visible in the background during the go-kart scenes, giving away the fact that this movie was filmed in California rather than New Jersey where it is set.
22nd Jan 2018
The Goldbergs (2013)
A Chorus Lie - S3-E2
Factual error: A key plot point of this episode is the revelation of the Milli Vanilli lip-syncing scandal and that they didn't sing on their album, which happened in the fall of 1990, outside the 1980s setting of the series.
Suggested correction: The first public sign that the group was lip-syncing came on 21 July 1989, during a live performance on MTV at the Lake Compounce theme park in Bristol, Connecticut. As they performed, a hard drive issue caused the recording of the song "Girl You Know It's True" to jam and skip, repeatedly playing the partial line "Girl, you know it's..." through the speakers. "I knew right then and there, it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli," recalled Pilatus of the incident.
The mistake didn't point it out, although the episode did, but the issue wasn't the fact that they lip-sync'd but the fact that they didn't actually do any singing. The minor incident you mentioned wasn't news that "shook the country." The news that it wasn't Milli Vanilli singing on their own album didn't come out until 1990.
My point exactly; while Milli Vanilli were revealed to be lip-syncing during a single live performance in the summer of 1989, it wasn't confirmed that they didn't sing at all on their debut album until November 1990.
21st Nov 2017
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Trivia: Of all the child actors who played main characters in this film, Julie Dawn Cole is the only one who continued to act into adulthood.
7th Aug 2017
Watchmen (2009)
Question: Did the Comedian know that he was the biological father of Laurie/Silk Spectre II? His interaction with her during a flashback doesn't seem to indicate so, but since Sally knew the truth of the matter, wouldn't the Comedian have at least some suspicion that he was Laurie's father?
Chosen answer: Yes he knew, when he first meets Laurie and Sally scolds him for talking to her he is distraught and asks why he can't talk to his own... he cuts off there but he is saying he knows she's his daughter.
13th Jul 2017
That '70s Show (1998)
Question: Who exactly shouts, "Hello Wisconsin!" at the end of the opening credits? I've long assumed it was Topher Grace, but it sounds as though it could be Danny Masterson or Ashton Kutcher as well.
Chosen answer: Danny Masterson is the one who screams "hello Wisconsin".
27th Jun 2017
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Question: Vincent and Mia are shown smoking cigarettes inside Jackrabbit Slim's, but California has long been known to have some of the most restrictive anti-smoking laws in the US. While I'm aware that neither Vincent nor Mia was exactly law abiding, was smoking in restaurants in California still allowed at the time this film was made?
Chosen answer: California passed a ban on restaurant smoking in 1994, as part of labor policies meant to protect the health of employees (such as bartenders, waitresses and bellhops) from the risks of secondhand smoke. However, "Pulp Fiction" was produced in 1993 and was released in 1994. The actual law did not take effect until 1995.
20th Jun 2017
Doctor Strange (2016)
Question: When Dr. Strange gets into the accident near the beginning of the film, why didn't his car's airbag deploy? Wouldn't such an expensive car have all kinds of standard safety features?
Chosen answer: The airbag did deploy. However, the deployment occurred when the car first crashed and we see the accident from the outside, so we can't see it. Once we get a shot of the interior, you can see the airbag is sticking out from the steering wheel, but (unlike what some movies would show you) airbags deflate very rapidly after a crash, so you may have missed it.
But if the airbags did deploy, then why did he have such major injuries? Wouldn't the airbags have made what happened to his hands less severe?
I don't think so. I watched it again recently and I think I saw the car's speedometer crush his hands while they were still on the steering wheel, while the airbag deploys from the centre of the steering wheel, nowhere near his hands.
Often in real life, when air bags deploy from the steering wheel, they force the hands off the steering wheel resulting in the hands hitting the windshield. Damage to hands, wrists, and lower arms are common.
11th May 2017
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Factual error: In the grocery store where Gilbert works, loaves of Mrs. Baird's bread are seen on the shelves; Mrs. Baird's is a Texas-based bakery whose products would not be available as far away as Iowa.
Suggested correction: You are right - the product should not be on the shelves of a store in a state that does not receive the product. I was just questioning your assertion that distance from Texas is a determining factor - states further away (e.g, Oregon, California. Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania) do sell Mrs. Baird's bread. I wasn't familiar with this brand, but I found out it is sold locally in Pennsylvania. When I was on-line, I also found out that Allen Baird, 97, recently died of COVID-19.
I'm curious what cities/stores sell Mrs. Baird's breads in PA (or OR, CA, MA).
You can go on-line, like I did. I just did a search for Mrs. Baird's bread, and that website is set up to enable you to look for locations where it is sold - by state and/or zip code.
Sorry... I didn't want to reveal the city I'm in... but I can at least tell you the bread is sold at a Walmart store.
I specifically looked on their website and no PA stores popped up, not even Walmart. Of course, the mistake is still valid since this was 27 years ago and in Iowa.
My point exactly; this mistake merely gave away the fact that this film was made in Texas rather than Iowa where it was set. Since "Errors In Geography" is not a separate category here as it is on IMDb, I submitted it as a factual error; while I'm unaware whether Mrs. Baird's products are available now in Iowa, I know that wasn't the case in the early 90s when this film was made and released.
If it's not incorporated into the plot, generally these mistakes should be considered "revealing" mistakes, it's revealing it's not really filmed where it's set.
I just searched again, and Mrs. Baird's bread is also sold at Target and Sam's Club. I was surprised to see there is a "Bimbo Bakery" less than 12 miles away. I wasn't familiar with this brand, and now I suspect the products were recently made available; I surely would have noticed the products or the bakery before now. If I Google "Where can I buy Mrs. Baird's bread?" a map showing local stores comes up. But if I go to mrsbairds.com and put my zip code under "store locater", "no stores available in this zip code" shows up.
In California, it can be found at any grocery store that sells Bimbo products. Specifically, Ralph's, Albertson's, Von's, Walmart, Smart and Final, Aldi, Superior Grocers and Jon's.
It should be noted that Bimbo Bakeries didn't buy Mrs. Baird's until 1998. But is this because you've bought it in CA or because you used google and have no personal knowledge? My aunt and Grandparents have never heard of Mrs Baird's and they've lived in CA their whole lives.
11th May 2017
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Trivia: Johnny Depp was unhappy about the fact that he spoke negatively about Darlene Cates (Mama) while he was in character as Gilbert; he would frequently and sincerely apologize to her between takes.
6th Apr 2017
Freejack (1992)
Factual error: A digital billboard shows the date as "Thursday, November 23, 2009"; that date was a Monday.
15th Feb 2017
General questions
I'm trying to remember the title of a film probably from the late 80s or early 90s. The main plot centers around a teen promoting his favorite local band called "Severed Heads In A Box" or something similar. There were also numerous subplots such as the main character having a crush on a girl who herself has a crush on the band's singer, his sister trying to stop him from having a big party at his house, and a lot of other things going on. I've tried to find the film on IMDb, but I don't have enough info to go on. Thanks in advance for any help.
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Answer: I couldn't find any other information, but honestly... Soundwave is barely in the movie. Probably just wasn't worth it for the production to pay Welker to come in just to record a few throwaway lines.
TedStixon
I considered that possibility as well, but since Peter Cullen reprised his role as the voice of Optimus Prime yet again for this film despite Prime's minimal involvement, it doesn't quite wash. Also, given Frank Welker's highly prolific voice acting career, it's unlikely he would have declined on the basis of pay or importance of his involvement.
zendaddy621
Soundwave was barely in the movie (he's literally only in a few shots) and only had one or two lines. As the other answer suggested, it probably just wasn't worth it for the studio to pay Welker to come in, or they just didn't feel it was necessary given that Soundwave was essentially just a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. Optimus has a much larger presence, and Peter Cullen's voice is pretty synonymous with the character in the film series. Hence, it was worth it to have him return.
TedStixon